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A Pearl of Great Price
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Some time ago, a magazine ran a story about teenagers who
belong to the Santa Clara Swimming Club. Every morning they get up at 5:00am
and hurry to an outdoor pool for two solid hours of swimming, after
which, they go to school. After school, they return to the pool to swim
for two more hours. At 5:00pm they hurry home and do their homework. They go to bed exhausted and wait for the alarm to ring at 5:00am
to start it all over again. When asked why she follows such a
disciplined schedule, one girl said, "My goal is to make the Olympic
Team. I will give up going to parties and staying up late, anything for a
Gold Olympic Medal."
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Had Jesus lived now rather than in A.D. 30, the gospel
might have been very different. Rather than talk about a pearl merchant
who sacrificed all to buy a dream pearl or a farmer who sold all to buy a
field with treasure in it, Jesus might have talked about a Santa Clara
swimmer who sacrificed all to make the Olympic Team. Why do I say this?
What connection is there between a pearl merchant, a treasure seeker
and a Santa Clara swimmer? What do these three people have in common?
The one thing they have in common is their total commitment to a dream.
All three are willing to sacrifice everything for a goal they have set
for themselves.
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This leads us to the point Jesus wishes to make for
us. The point is this ‑ Citizenship in God's Kingdom involves total
commitment on our part. We cannot pursue it as we do a part‑time job or
work at it as we do a hobby. Being a Christian is like being a pearl
merchant, a treasure seeker or a Santa Clara swimmer. It involves total
dedication and commitment.
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But, there is one big difference between a Christian
and the other three. Every athlete in training submits to strict
discipline in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last. But,
we do it for one that will last forever. That is the difference. The
pearl merchant's prize, the farmer's treasure and the swimmer's medal
are all perishable. When the merchant dies, his pearl will no longer
have any value for him. When the farmer dies, his treasure will be as
useless to him as the box he found it in. When the swimmer dies, her
medal will be just another keepsake for her family or relatives.
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But when the Christian dies, the Kingdom of God will
shine brighter and brighter. At the moment of death there is only one
thing that counts. It is not whether in life we acquired a prize pearl,
a rare treasure or a gold medal. The only thing that will matter is
what we have become in the process of trying to seek the pearl, acquire
the treasure or win the medal. What has the pursuit of these things done
to us? How have they affected our daily life?
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Ultimately, whatever is yours, save for sin, is God's
gift to you even if it stems from your own fantastic talent. That talent
itself owes its origin to God. But, a gift of God is not given to be
clutched. It is given to be given. Each of you is a gifted woman, man
or child. You are gifted in more ways, perhaps, than your modesty will
admit. It does not matter what your specific possessions are ‑ millions
or the widow's mite, intelligence or power, beauty or wisdom, faith,
hope, love, gentleness or compassion. What Jesus tells us time and time
again is to use your gifts as He invites or commands you to use them.
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To some, He may say, "Give all you have to the poor and
come follow me." To others, He invites, "Share what you possess and use
it for those around you. Employ your power for peace, your wisdom to
reconcile, your knowledge to open horizons, your compassion to heal,
your hope to destroy despair and your very weakness to give strength."
Remember your most precious possession is yourself, give it away
lavishly.
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The gospel makes an important point. Nothing in the
world may take priority over God's Kingdom and our pursuit of it. The
gospel tells us that what counts when we die is not what we have
acquired in life, but what we have become. Did we learn to love one
another? Did we learn to forgive one another? Did we learn to help the
needy? Did we learn to encourage the fainthearted? Did we learn to
become more committed and loyal to God and to one another?
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One thing I can promise you that rarely in your life
will you experience such profound joy as when, because of you, a smile
is born on a crucified face. And, you realize that all people no matter
what they have done or who they are, they are all pearls of great price
in God's eyes. Remember your most precious possession is yourself, give
it away lavishly.
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Yours in Christ,
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Fr. Robert Warren, S.A.
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Spiritual Director
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